This website is an ever-evolving, ever-growing resource for people of Latvian descent doing research into their family histories. It is meant to help people getting started into researching their Latvian heritage.

It is especially intended for people of Latvian descent who do not speak Latvian. Most resources on Latvian genealogy are in Latvian, or assume at least some familiarity with the language, which can be a bit daunting for beginning researchers. I'm here to help you and answer any questions you may have.

Most of the content for this website can be found on the blog. There you will find all sorts of interesting information, including tips on how to do your research, translations of Latvian newspaper articles, advice on what documents to consult for what information, and historical backgrounders for important times in Latvian history. If you are interested in exploring Latvian surnames, you can go to the Latvian Surname Project.

If you are new to Latvian genealogy, I highly recommend you read my blog post Getting Started with Latvian Research to get an idea of how to approach your research and what kind of documents might be available for that research. You can also read my Latvian Genealogy Primer (Part 1 and Part 2).

Who am I? I am a 30 year old third-generation Latvian-Canadian. I was born and raised in Canada, and I speak Latvian and English fluently. I also have a growing knowledge of Russian and German (both useful languages for conducting Latvian research), and I am a genealogist specializing in Latvian genealogy.

So come in, take a look around, and I hope you find what you're looking for!

Contact Information: Please email at or leave a comment on my blog, Discovering Latvian Roots, and I will get back to you! (Note: Email address is an image to prevent spam. You will need to type it into your email program.) You can also find me on Facebook or Twitter. If you are interested in engaging any of my services, please view the Services tab on my blog.